The Flower and the Avenger

Chapter 26

They decided, as Rin had moved in with Ino and Tenten (and Hinata shortly afterwards), that Rin and Ino would move in with Sakura. It was only fitting; Ino could be the older-sisterly type while Rin was her best friend. It was perfect.

As soon as they settled down in Hinata and Sakura's old bedroom Ino said mischievously, "So what's going on between you and Sasuke?"

Sakura shook her head wildly as Rin started to laugh. "We're not anything, I swear," she said. "Suuuure you aren't," said Ino dryly as Rin's laughs became louder. "Sakura, we saw everything!" Her blood froze. They had seen her inside the infirmary with him?

"At the ball! That stranger was Uchiha, right? We saw you kissing him," said Rin, smirking. Sakura blushed as she looked away. "Th- that wasn't Sasuke."

Ino scoffed, "Don't lie. He lifted his mask for you, too, and that stranger was definitely Sasuke. We saw. It. All."

"What, were you guys spying on me or something?" groaned Sakura as Ino's laughs bubbled out with Rin's. "No," said Rin, "We were all keeping an eye on each other."

"Yeah," agreed Ino as Sakura shrank. So they had seen everything, after all... "Hey," smiled Rin. "Everything will be fine. That old crone is gone too; what are you afraid of? I just hope that you and Uchiha patched things up."

"Don't worry, we did," assured Sakura as she smiled to herself, and that everlasting kiss inside the hospital bed.

"Good, 'cause he asked you to be his personal maidservant."

"WHAT?" Sakura fell off her bed. "Oh, god, Sakura, you okay?" Rin rushed forward as Ino roared with laughter. "I'm fine, I'm fine," she said as she said hurriedly, "What do you mean? Please tell me you're kidding."

Ino's smile was unusually bright today. "Actually, we're telling the truth. He told us to tell you that you're going to be his personal servant." Sakura didn't know if she would be happy, or scared. What did he mean by his personal servant? By the stories she read, they weren't treated too well.

Then again, Sasuke was unlike any other master that books could relay, now wasn't he?

"All right," she said, defeated. Ino crowed, "You're going to tell us what happened?"

"No!"

Sakura grumbled as she leaned back into her bedpost, "You guys are annoying."

"Don't we know it," winked Ino as she leaned forward. "But hey, if you ever consider giving up Sasuke, tell him I'm always available-"

"AS IF!"

Rin chuckled before putting on a serious face. "Sakura, I know this might be kind of personal, but why did you start taking those sleep drugs in the first place?"

She hesitated. Rin and Ino were the best friends she could ever ask for, but could she go as far as telling them what happened in the library? Karin, too?

They're your friends.

And so, it all spilled out- starting from the ball, then their kiss (she hated to admit it to Ino's smug face), then the library, how Karin disappeared right after that, then her overdose of drugs and nightmares. And as for that kiss in the infirmary... well, she had to draw some sort of line, didn't she?

Rin leaned back with a disgusted look on her face. "That she-devil. I can't believe that she would do that-"

"Never mind that!" Ino was on her feet, glowing red with anger. "Drugs are a serious thing, y'know! Amnesia might not have been the only thing affecting you! And it was all because of that bi-"